 are bodily systems in the body that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle and repeat each day. These consistent rhythms control the body’s sleep/wake cycles — when you fall asleep and when you awaken — as well as other important processes like metabolism, body temperature, and hormones.1

Circadian rhythms are primarily regulated by light, but can also be influenced by other external cues like temperature, exercise, and social interactions.2 These cues influence the body’s master clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). For example, when the external environment becomes dark, the SCN turns on circadian rhythm genes and tells the body to produce  melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel more tired. In this way, cues like light affect your sleep timing.1

Circadian rhythms are one of two processes in your body that help regulate sleep. The other is the 

, which is the biological need for sleep.3 The longer you are awake, the more your sleep drive increases and the greater your need to go to bed. The sleep drive and circadian rhythms work together to control when you feel sleepy and how deeply you sleep.4

What Else Do Circadian Rhythms Affect Besides Sleep?

Circadian rhythms influence health in many ways. For example, disruptions in circadian rhythms and 

 are linked to chronic health conditions like:5

Metabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension (high blood pressure)

Mood disorders like depression, seasonal affective disorder, and bipolar disorder

Neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease

Immune system disorders and inflammatory conditions

Causes and Symptoms of Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Health problems can occur when the body’s circadian rhythms get out of sync with the light-dark cycles that are happening in the environment. In the short term, circadian disorders can be temporarily disrupted by things like 

, in which traveling across multiple time zones causes irregularities in sleep and wake times.6

Circadian rhythm disorders can develop due to more long-term causes. These may include:6

Having sleep habits that don’t align with light-dark cues in the environment

Symptoms of circadian rhythm disorders can include insomnia and fatigue as well as trouble concentrating, focusing, remembering, or making decisions.6

What Are the Long-Term Benefits of Healthy Sleep Habits for Adults?

 can help you optimize the hormones in your brain that reinforce your body’s internal clock, causing you to fall asleep and wake up with consistency and ease.

Following a good sleep schedule also allows your body to make growth hormone, which helps build muscle and repair damage, and sex hormones, which help control fertility.7

Healthy sleep patterns also allow your brain, heart, and other organs to rest, strengthening your memory, improving your cardiovascular system, and helping protect against disease.7

How Can You Reset, Regulate, and Improve Circadian Rhythms?

You can influence your circadian rhythms by changing when your body is exposed to light. Bright light from the sun or from lights in your house signals to your body that it is daytime, resetting the processes in your body that control your circadian rhythms.1 In particular, it is important to be exposed to bright light soon after you wake up, to help reinforce to your circadian rhythms that it is daytime.8 Resetting your circadian rhythms requires daily exposure to light and can take several weeks to effectively shift.

The blue light that emits from electronics screens may also be a factor. Some research has found that blue light lowers the amount of melatonin that your body produces, shifting your circadian rhythms and delaying your sense of sleepiness later in the evening.9

However, other research has found that blue light doesn’t disrupt circadian rhythms as much as previously suspected.10 You will benefit from finding what level of exposure works for you. It’s possible that the stress of avoiding screens might be worse for sleep than the screens themselves.

To maintain consistent circadian rhythms, it helps to develop long-term habits. Wake up at a similar time each day, get lots of bright light in the mornings, and go to bed at the same time each evening. This can keep the genes, hormones, and other factors that influence your circadian rhythms operating on the same schedule each day.

For personalized advice on improving your own circadian rhythm, fill out our 

. Dawn can connect you to a sleep coach who can help you understand the best next steps to take.

National Institute of General Medical Sciences. (2021, September 9). 

https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 

https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-2/85-93.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, March 31). 

NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod2/11.html

Borbély, A. A., Daan, S., Wirz-Justice, A., & Deboer, T. (2016). The two-process model of sleep regulation: a reappraisal. 

(2), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12371

Jagannath, A., Taylor, L., Wakaf, Z., Vasudevan, S. R., & Foster, R. G. (2017). The genetics of circadian rhythms, sleep and health. 

(R2), R128–R138. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddx240

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2019, September 25). 

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/circadian-rhythm-disorders

https://medlineplus.gov/healthysleep.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 1). 

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/light.html

Chang, A. M., Aeschbach, D., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2015). Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. 

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112

(4), 1232–1237. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112

Mouland, J. W., Martial, F., Watson, A., Lucas, R. J., & Brown, T. M. (2019). Cones Support Alignment to an Inconsistent World by Suppressing Mouse Circadian Responses to the Blue Colors Associated with Twilight. 

(24), 4260–4267.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.10.028

Learn all about the circadian rhythm, what it affects besides sleep, circadian rhythm disorders, and how to reset your circadian rhythm with Dawn.

What is Circadian Rhythm? | How to Reset Circadian Rhythm | Dawn Health

What is Circadian Rhythm?

Many women struggle with getting a good night’s sleep. While sometimes, the causes of sleep problems are the same regardless of gender. In other cases, insomnia in women has its own unique causes.

Cause you to wake up too early or have trouble staying asleep throughout the night

Although anyone can suffer from insomnia, the condition is 

 in women.2 Additionally, women who experience insomnia are more likely to experience multiple insomnia symptoms, while men are more likely to report only one insomnia symptom.3

Why Are Women More Likely To Have Insomnia?

There are several factors that may make insomnia more common in women. Many of these causes are linked to hormones.

The menstrual cycle is one possible cause of insomnia in younger females. Women are most likely to report poor sleep during 

Your menstrual cycle is controlled by various sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. Levels of these hormones drop at the end of your cycle, just before your period, leading to symptoms like cramping, mood swings, and sleep problems.5

It’s not entirely clear how sex hormones affect sleep. Research shows that for some women, decreasing levels of estrogen and progesterone cause the body to make less melatonin, a sleep hormone.6

 experience sleeping difficulties while expecting.7 

 is usually worse during the third trimester.

There are several possible pregnancy-related health changes that could disrupt sleep, such as:7

Needing to wake up to frequently use the bathroom

Experiencing breathing problems, such as shortness of breath

During perimenopause, the body produces less estrogen and progesterone and periods become more irregular. Once your periods stop completely, you are said to be in menopause.8

During this time, you may experience many symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats, that can make it hard to sleep. 

 in perimenopause or menopause have trouble sleeping.5 If you’re between the ages of 45 and 55 and are experiencing new sleep problems, peri/menopause could be the underlying cause.

Other Potential Causes of Insomnia in Females

Other causes of sleeping problems  may develop in people of all genders, but may be more common in women or affect women differently.

 of developing RLS, a condition that causes a strong urge to move the legs. Each pregnancy raises the risk of RLS, and women who have given birth three times have three times the risk of RLS compared with women who have never had children.9

 — Men are more likely to develop sleep apnea than are women. However, different genders tend to 

. Common symptoms of sleep apnea in men include snoring, snorting and gasping; women are more likely to experience tiredness and depression.9

 — Women are twice as likely as men to deal with mental health problems like anxiety and depression.10,11 These conditions are in turn strongly linked to insomnia.

— This condition leads to chronic pain and often affects sleep. Most people with fibromyalgia are women.9

Social issues can also play a role in sleep. For example, women are more likely to be responsible for taking care of a child or older relative, and caregiver roles can lead to stress and mental health struggles that translate to poor sleep. Additionally, women who do shift work are more likely to experience insomnia and other health problems.9

How to Recognize if You Are Suffering from Insomnia as a Woman

The following questions can help you understand whether you might be suffering from insomnia1:

Do you find yourself struggling to fall asleep?

Do you feel like you spend most of the night awake?

Do you find it difficult to focus during the day?

Do you feel tired, but find yourself unable to nap?

Keeping a sleep diary can help you track when your sleep is good and when it’s less than optimal. Note when you lay down, how long it takes to fall asleep, your wake-up time, and how rested you feel.

 can help women get a better night’s sleep. This strategy is effective and safe for women who are pregnant or dealing with other health concerns. To improve your sleep hygiene, try:7

Napping earlier in the day, rather than later

Avoiding spicy or high-fat foods to prevent heartburn

Sleeping on your side with a heating pad on your back to reduce back pain

Addressing underlying causes of insomnia may also help. For example, using medication to control period cramps may lead to a better night’s sleep. Additionally, women going through perimenopause may be able to use treatments like hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Some studies have shown that these treatments could help improve sleep for menopausal women.5

Another safe and effective strategy to treat insomnia is 

cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)

, a type of talk therapy that helps people change their thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to insomnia. Early research shows that CBT-I could be useful for treating insomnia caused by periods, pregnancy, or menopause.5

To learn more about Dawn’s evidence-based CBT-I program that can help improve your relationship with sleep, fill out our 

Zhang, B., & Wing, Y. K. (2006). Sex differences in insomnia: a meta-analysis. 

(1), 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/29.1.85

Jaussent, I., Dauvilliers, Y., Ancelin, M. L., Dartigues, J. F., Tavernier, B., Touchon, J., Ritchie, K., & Besset, A. (2011). Insomnia symptoms in older adults: associated factors and gender differences. 

The American journal of geriatric psychiatry: official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 19

(1), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181e049b6

Office on Women’s Health. (2018, November 21). 

https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/insomnia

Nowakowski, S., Meers, J., & Heimbach, E. (2013). Sleep and Women's Health. 

(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.17241/smr.2013.4.1.1

Jehan, S., Auguste, E., Hussain, M., Pandi-Perumal, S. R., Brzezinski, A., Gupta, R., Attarian, H., Jean-Louis, G., & McFarlane, S. I. (2016). Sleep and Premenstrual Syndrome. 

Journal of sleep medicine and disorders, 3

Hashmi, A. M., Bhatia, S. K., Bhatia, S. K., & Khawaja, I. S. (2016). Insomnia during pregnancy: Diagnosis and Rational Interventions. 

(4), 1030–1037. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.324.10421

National Institute on Aging. (2021, September 30). 

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-menopause

Mallampalli, M. P., & Carter, C. L. (2014). Exploring sex and gender differences in sleep health: a Society for Women's Health Research Report. 

(7), 553–562. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2014.4816

Office on Women’s Health. (2019, January 30). 

https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/anxiety-disorders

Office on Women’s Health. (2019, May 14). 

https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/depression

Ever wondered whether insomnia is more common in females or males? There are several factors that cause insomnia specifically in females, due to hormones.

Causes of Insomnia in Females | What Causes Insomnia in Females? | Dawn Health

Causes of Insomnia in Females

The foundation to a good night’s sleep is built during your waking hours. To optimize your rest, work in some new habits to your mornings, afternoons, and evenings that can help you be primed for sleep when night time arrives.

Why Healthy Sleep Habits for Adults Are Important

If you’re regularly suffering from too little sleep, one or two quick fixes probably won’t be enough to turn things around. Instead, developing a regular routine that guides the predictable rhythm of your days and nights may help your body and brain know when it’s time to get some shut-eye.

Scientific research shows that the habits that form our days make a difference at night. For example, one study found that young adults got to sleep faster and spent more time asleep when they went outside, started work, and ate meals 

How to Develop Better Sleep Habits During the Day

For a better night’s sleep, it can help to practice good 

 — a set of practices and behaviors that promote quality rest. Sleep hygiene can include both daytime and nighttime habits.2

— Avoid sleeping during the day, and you may feel sleepier in the evenings. If you really need a pick-me-up, keep it short: a 20- or 30-minute nap can be enough to boost your energy. Try to keep any napping to the early parts of the day.

— Workouts are great to help make you feel more tired later on. It’s okay if you’re not able to hit the gym! Taking a walk or getting chores done around the house can also count as physical activity.

 — Setting aside time for stress-busting activities, such as organizing your tasks for the day, taking more breaks from work, journaling, meditating, and exercising, may help calm anxious thoughts that keep you awake at night.

Getting more light during your waking hours

 — To wake yourself up more during the day, spend some time outside in the sunlight. If you’re stuck inside, try using brighter light bulbs, adding another lamp or two to your environment, or sitting in front of a light therapy box. It is most helpful to get light within the first hour after you wake in the morning.

Not eating or drinking too much soon before bedtime 

— A heavy meal sitting in your stomach may keep you awake as your body works to digest it.

— Try to wake up at the same time each day. Try not to stray too far from your schedule on weekends!

 — Wind down before bed to signal to your brain that it’s time to start sleeping. You may want to try taking a warm bath or shower, turning the lights down, reading, or listening to relaxing music.

What Are the Benefits of Healthy Sleep Habits for Adults?

 — your body’s internal clock. Your circadian rhythm uses cues like physical activity, light, and eating patterns to control different processes in your body.4

When your eyes detect light or your digestive system starts breaking down a meal, your brain receives signals that tell it the body is awake. The brain then activates certain genes, sends out hormones (chemical messengers) that wake up the body, and controls the actions of various tissues and organs. Once it becomes dark and your body becomes less active, your brain reverses these processes, causing sleepiness.4

Performing certain tasks at the same time each day may help reinforce your circadian rhythm and set yourself up for good quality sleep. For example, studies show that getting bright light during the day causes people to sleep more at night and spend more time in deeper stages of sleep.5

, making you less likely to experience conditions like anxiety, depression, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease.6

Dawn can help you build a schedule for better sleeping with CBT-I

Are you struggling with building a daytime routine that can help improve sleep habits? Fill out this 

 to get specific advice about sleep habits tailored to your own needs and work one-on-one with a sleep coach.

Dautovich, N. D., Shoji, K. D., & McCrae, C. S. (2015). Variety is the Spice of Life: A Microlongitudinal Study Examining Age Differences in Intraindividual Variability in Daily Activities in Relation to Sleep Outcomes.

 The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences

, 70(4), 581–590. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbt120

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, July 15). 

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep/art-20048379

Campbell, S. S., Dawson, D., & Anderson, M. W. (1993). Alleviation of sleep maintenance insomnia with timed exposure to bright light. 

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

, 41(8), 829–836. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1993.tb06179.x

The foundation to a good night’s sleep is built during your waking hours. Understand what you could be doing during the day to develop healthy sleep habits.

Healthy Sleep Habits for Adults: Good Sleep Habits for Better Sleep | Dawn Health

Daytime Habits for a Good Night’s Sleep

The Intimate Relationship Between Exercise and Sleep

Quality sleep and optimal workouts are interdependent — you can’t have one without the other. People who are struggling with good sleep can get more physical activity as a way to improve their shut-eye. Likewise, those who are looking to improve their fitness levels can boost recovery by getting a good night’s rest. Consistent healthy sleep patterns will help your body to recover, conserve energy, repair the muscles used during exercise, and support the production of growth hormones.

Your sleep is controlled, in part, by your body’s internal clock, called your 

. This cycle senses and responds to external cues such as light, diet, and even exercise. Your circadian rhythm uses these cues to maintain a predictable pattern of wake time and sleep time.

A structure in your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) uses this information from your environment to send out signals to the rest of your body, controlling different processes such as hormone levels, metabolism, and feelings of sleepiness.1 When you are more active, get lots of exposure to bright light early on, and eat during the day (rather than right before bed), you are confirming to your biological clock that it is daytime. This sets up the capacity for your body to more easily recognize that it is time to sleep once nighttime comes around.

Exercise has been shown to boost levels of adenosine, a brain chemical that increases your sleep drive — your need for sleep.

 When you first wake up, adenosine levels in your brain are low. The longer you are awake, the more your adenosine levels rise and the sleepier you get.

 Exercise can help strengthen this process by encouraging your cells to make more adenosine, reinforcing your innate biological urge for sleep later on.

Researchers have conducted dozens of studies that link physical activity and sleep.

 These studies have found that a consistent exercise program can:

Make it easier for you to fall asleep faster

Help you sleep for longer lengths of time without interruption

Increase the amount of time you spend in deeper stages of sleep

Reduce your time spent lying in bed awake

Studies have reported improvements in sleep with both aerobic exercise, such as jogging or swimming, and resistance training, such as bodyweight exercises or lifting weights. Additionally, multiple studies have found that people may get the most sleep benefits when they exercise in the mornings.4

Why is Sleep Important for Improving Exercise?

People with poor sleep tend to be less active than those who regularly experience healthy sleep. For example, athletes tend to 

 than those who don’t get much physical activity.

Sleep does several important things for people who are trying to increase their overall level of fitness. Quality sleep can:

. Sleep is a time for your body to rest and repair its tissues, including resting the heart, which helps you feel your best the next day.6 People who don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis are 1.7 times more likely to become injured.

. Not getting enough sleep can hinder your muscle strength, deplete your fuel stores, make you slower, decrease your endurance, and cause you to fatigue more quickly. Some studies have even studied specific competitions and found that the athletes who got the best sleep were likely to place the highest!

. Your circadian rhythm helps control your metabolism. Poor sleep decreases your glucose tolerance — your fat cells can’t use sugar for fuel as effectively as they should.

 In the long term, this can increase your risk of obesity and diabetes.

Ensure your body has enough growth hormone

. A chronic lack of sleep reduces the amount of growth hormone that your body makes.

 This molecule is what helps muscles grow bigger and stronger.

Many studies show why sleep is important for fitness and athletic performance. Aim for at least 7-8 hours for optimal results!

Improving sleep in the long run with CBT-I

You may be able to improve your sleep with some 

, such as avoiding caffeine in the afternoons and evenings, steering clear of alcohol, finishing meals several hours before bedtime, and keeping your bedroom cool and dark.

In some cases, these tips aren’t enough to reverse your sleeping troubles, and some personalized guidance may be needed. To learn more about how to improve your specific situation and to work with a sleep coach, fill out this simple 

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Overview of Circadian Rhythms. 

Dworak, M., Diel, P., Voss, S., Hollmann, W., & Strüder, H. K. (2007). Intense exercise increases adenosine concentrations in rat brain: implications for a homeostatic sleep drive. Neuroscience, 150(4), 789–795. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.09.062

Bjorness, T. E., & Greene, R. W. (2009). Adenosine and sleep. Current neuropharmacology, 7(3), 238–245. 

https://doi.org/10.2174/157015909789152182

Dolezal, B. A., Neufeld, E. V., Boland, D. M., Martin, J. L., & Cooper, C. B. (2017). Interrelationship between Sleep and Exercise: A Systematic Review. Advances in preventive medicine, 2017, 1364387. 

Watson A. M. (2017). Sleep and Athletic Performance. Current sports medicine reports, 16(6), 413–418. 

https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0000000000000418

MedlinePlus. (2021, October 18). Healthy Sleep. 

Huang, K., & Ihm, J. (2021). Sleep and Injury Risk. Current sports medicine reports, 20(6), 286–290. 

https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0000000000000849

Broussard, J. L., Ehrmann, D. A., Van Cauter, E., Tasali, E., & Brady, M. J. (2012). Impaired insulin signaling in human adipocytes after experimental sleep restriction: a randomized, crossover study. Annals of internal medicine, 157(8), 549–557. 

https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-157-8-201210160-00005

Sharma, S., & Kavuru, M. (2010). Sleep and metabolism: an overview. International journal of endocrinology, 2010, 270832. 

The relationship between exercise and sleep is more complex than you may think. Learn all about why working out helps you sleep better, and vice versa.